Violet Nights 22: Time To Grieve, Time To Laugh
by Funky In Fishnet
Summary: Elrond is a widower; it's a wound that never heals. He and Belladonna understand each other, so do he and Dis. He's also rather talented at scandalising his sons, his daughter is too.


_**Disclaimer:** I own nothing._

_**Author Note: **In case people were wondering, the Elladan/Dis/Elrohir relationship is not one that features incest. Elladan and Elrohir are both dating Dis but not dating each other. Hope that's clear :)_

* * *

**TIME TO GRIEVE, TIME TO LAUGH**

Elrond bit into a stuffed cupcake. He could taste rhubarb and a strong hint of spiced jam. The buttercream frosting was plainer, velvety compared to the chunkier jam filling. It was a very interesting combination, Elrond wanted more so he took another bite, an eyebrow twitching. Belladonna smiled broadly as she bit into her own cupcake.

She looked extremely smug. Elrond's eyebrow rose higher.

"You can't fool me, I know that look," Belladonna told him with great satisfaction. "And before you ask, no, I don't know the recipe."

A pity. Elrond finished off the cupcake; he'd liked the taste a lot. He turned to Bilbo who just shook his head.

"Recipe sharing is not part of our agreement," he reminded Elrond, handing him another cupcake. "And thank you, it's one of my new favourites too."

Elrond felt a twinge of pained nausea which he smoothly ignored. He was used to doing so, he saw his personal physician, he now had regular appointments with Oin. His sons and daughter knew, nobody else needed to. Speaking of which, there was a tumble of noise at the door and then Elrohir and Elladan walked in, talking almost over each other. Behind them was Dis, Thorin Durin's sister, someone he'd heard a lot about. His sons certainly admired her and enjoyed her company.

She had tattoos, Elrond noted, rather beautiful and elaborate swathes of ink. Was that a sword adorning on her neck, wreathed in orange roses? She was wearing jeans and a top that bared her shoulders while her hair was swept up and pinned in place with something sharp and jewelled. Her fingernails were painted purple though they weren't manicured. She looked entirely comfortable with the twins, flicking Elrohir's hair out of his face and gently touching Elladan's arm as though such a gesture contained a whole sentence. When she met Elrond's gaze, her eyes glimmered with amusement and a curious kind of understanding.

Belladonna got to her feet, hugging the twins and then Dis. Bilbo began talking to Elrohir about the latest baking that he could try out, had he tasted one of these cupcakes yet? Elrond watched for a moment because Elrohir's dessert skills had broadened and improved since he'd begun working at Violet Nights. Elrond could see how that was going to benefit Rivendell in the future; they couldn't stand still, they had to develop. And Elladan was already a more-than-capable maitre'd. Rivendell was already in good hands.

Dis slid comfortably into the chair next to Elrond and picked up a cupcake, running a finger through the frosting. She smiled as she turned towards Elrond.

"I don't know how he keeps coming up with more new ideas."

Elrond's mouth turned upwards. "Indeed. One of life's great mysteries?"

Dis laughed through with a mouthful of spiced rhubarb jam and cool plain frosting, the sound turning into interested noises. Yes, it was a good cupcake, wasn't it?

"I don't know if you've noticed but those sorts of mysteries surround Bilbo, like why he's still dating my brother for a start."

Elrond had known the Durin family for many years, though this generation had kept its distance. He understood why, Thranduil was not easy to forget. He had heard stories about Thorin Durin though. Dis laughed at whatever she had discerned in his expression.

"You see, you've never even met my brother and you still agree."

Elrond watched as Belladonna took a phonecall from her husband and Elladan left to see to some bookkeeping. He brushed a hand against the small of Dis' back as he passed. Bilbo and Elrohir were still deep in conversation. Elrond recognised Celebrian's smile in his son's. A very different pain passed through him. He reached for his tea.

Dis looked at him but didn't say anything. The silence was not uncomfortable. Elrond drained his cup. He was thinking of the Durins now, of how fond Bilbo always looked when he talked about them. He visited Rivendell once a week, so that he and Elrond could continue to develop their business partnership. It was working out well for both of them so far, though Elrond had warned Bilbo that he would likely get photographed if he kept visiting Rivendell and that Violet Nights would probably get some unwelcome attention after that. Bilbo had raised his eyebrows and pointed out that he was used to unwelcome attention already.

It wasn't just business though, truthfully Elrond enjoyed and valued Bilbo's friendship and company. He would be perturbed if Bilbo ever stopped visiting Rivendell.

Elrond glanced an eye towards Dis and saw that understanding look again. He remembered what his employees had discovered for him, he remembered hearing about the death of Dis' husband Stird. A tragedy. No doubt she was thinking about what had happened to the twins' mother. The media had been greedy for every detail.

Elrond frowned slightly and forcefully dragged his thoughts away towards what else he knew of Dis.

"Your sons."

He remembered Belladonna's affectionate talk of them and how Bilbo shook his head and rolled his eyes with the same sort of fondness. Dis grinned, looking younger all of a sudden and a lot like her grandmother.

"Yes, I'm sure you know all about the kind of blessing two sons can be," she replied wryly but produced her phone, brushing a thumb across its screen to reveal appropriate photos. "Kili and Fili, I'm sure you've heard stories."

Elrond didn't deny that as he found himself looking at two young men, one fair and one dark-haired and both brim full of confidence and laughter. They seemed to wear a lot of leather and was that a corset? He gazed at a photo of Kili for a moment more, yes, he was wearing a corset in more than one picture and looked perfectly happy.

According to Elladan and Elrohir, Dis' sons were very uncertain of them and often stared at them as though trying to find dissect them. Elrond doubted that Elladan or Elrohir tried to fight whatever expectation the Durins had of them. Gretchen Durin would have liked them a great deal, she have laughed probably. She had liked Celebrian a lot; they had been friends of a sort. Celebrian had been very upset when Gretchen had passed away.

Dis was touching a hand to her ribs, her eyes soft and pained but she was smiling too. Elrond looked at her for a moment and inclined his head.

Later, when he talked with his sons about the evening, they glanced at each other and then towards him as though they were waiting for a particular word or comment to pass his lips, as though he needed to speak to them about the woman currently sharing both their beds, a woman a good deal older than them with children of her own who were practically the twins' age, a woman not looking for a long-term settled kind of relationship. A woman who clearly knew what she wanted and had made sure that Elladan and Elrohir knew that too. Elrond merely stared back. His sons clearly still had much to learn.

* * *

"She's a strong woman," Belladonna remarked, squinting at her forkful of tenderised rabbit. "Not much knocks her off balance."

"A very admirable quality," agreed Elrond.

He tasted the wine the sommelier had suggested, it worked beautifully with the rabbit. He nodded and the sommelier smoothly poured them a respectable glass each. Belladonna thanked him and took an immediate sip of wine herself. She made an agreeable sound and then continued eating. She was strong herself of course; Elrond had been struck by that the first time that he'd ever spoken to Belladonna Baggins. She'd known exactly what she'd wanted when she'd walked into Rivendell – for Elrond to know about her son's excellent baking abilities - and she hadn't been afraid to talk to him personally about it.

Now though they were talking about Dis, who his sons had been spending a great deal of time with. Elrond had liked what he had seen of her and what he knew of her. She had weathered a great deal and continued to face the ever-present trouble of Smaug and his many allies and employees. Elrond's countenance darkened as he thought about Smaug, how Elrohir and Elladan had been attacked and pestered by insidious phone calls. Even Elrond's money and influence was having trouble rooting out a source. There was no evidence to catch hold of yet. Elrond's grip on his fork tightened.

Belladonna poured him more wine and stirred the conversation beautifully.

* * *

Sometimes Elrond could imagine Celebrian in Rivendell again, her hair long and fair and maybe whitening more throughout. He could see how the staff would respond to her, how she would guide Elladan and Elrohir in their work, how Arwen would blossom in her presence. He could feel the smooth silk of her skin, the petal-soft touch of her mouth, he could hear her voice singing the folk songs that she had loved since childhood.

He could see the light in her eyes that had faded during her last year. So much had been taken away from her, at least her final choice had been hers alone.

Occasionally he felt angry and drawn because Celebrian had left him and their children behind. It was a wound and he doubted the scar would ever fade.

* * *

"Your grandparents will be visiting this weekend," he told his children over breakfast.

Arwen had been scrutinising a book but she looked up now, her eyes so like her mother's. Elrohir and Elladan both looked surprised but happy. They didn't get to see their grandparents as often as they would have liked. It would be good to see them again, they were a very soothing presence and perhaps they would sing. Their voices had always been a delight together and Arwen often enjoyed joining in. Elrond missed that particular language and that unique sound.

"They can take time off from the clinic?" Elrohir asked.

"So they tell me. They're looking forward to seeing you all."

Celeborn and Galadriel were exceptionally singular people, for years they had run Lothlórien, a health and healing clinic. It was as exclusive as Rivendell in that it was extremely high-quality though unlike Rivendell any payment taken by Lothlórien for its staff's services was given as a donation - customers could donate as much or as little as they wanted as a fee. The very rich liked to donate large sums, apparently it had become a sort of competition, a matter of pride and boasting.

Elrond had spent some time at Lothlórien, following Celebrian's death. Galadriel had told him that his presence had been a great component for their healing too. When Celebrian had gone there following the terrible assault she had suffered, Lothlórien had appeared to help her. But some wounds had run so deep and she hadn't been willing to uncover them entirely, not even there.

"Father?"

Arwen was bending close to him, pouring him more tea. She touched his hand and Elrond wrapped his fingers around hers. It was what he needed and Arwen didn't question it, neither did his sons. A moment later he lifted his tea to his lips and didn't let go of Arwen's hand. She seemed content to eat breakfast that way.

She also seemed just as content to tease her brothers. "You could invite Dis."

Her tone was innocent but Elladan still very nearly spat out his cereal. Elrohir just looked startled, his eyes widening as he looked at his sister and then at Elrond. Elrond's lips twitched and he did not look at his daughter though he felt her fingers squeeze his. Her mother's daughter indeed.

Arwen tilted her head to one side, her eyes still so wide and innocent as she continued. "I only thought because I heard something very loud only last night and it sounded like-."

"Arwen!"

"There will be no discussions of your brothers' personal lives at the breakfast table," Elrond pronounced with a great deal of serenity as he let go of Arwen's hand in order to butter a slice of toast.

Elladan's eyebrows were moving very alarmingly and Elrohir was actually colouring slightly; he was going to have to learn to curb that.

Elrond continued as though his sons hadn't reacted at all "Dis would be very welcome, though your grandparents will continually ask about her afterwards even if you do impress upon them the frivolous nature of your relationships with her so please bear that in mind. And I venture it would…affect her brother to hear that Dis had met your grandparents?"

That got a very different reaction. Elrohir's smile was quite considering and Elladan looked as though he was brimming with laughter. Arwen's expression shone with delight.

"I can't wait to meet him."

"When your studies are complete, perhaps you will."

Elrond could see that his daughter was mentally making plans already. She had heard a lot about Violet Nights but because of the laborious and complex nature of her studies, she hadn't been able to visit the café yet, not even for a quick coffee. Elrond had told her that once her birthday had arrived and she'd finished her last exam, she could go there to celebrate. Bilbo would take care of her and ensure that she celebrated in suitable style. Elladan and Elrohir weren't entirely keen on the idea; they didn't like the thought of so many suspicious Durins close to their sister. Seeing as Arwen had only ever had eyes for her foster brother who was currently at university, Elrond was not weighed down by such worries. Arwen had also learned how to succinctly defend herself, just as her brothers had, and she was rarely without company. Elrond expected to worry when she went to medical school of course but he would not stop her. She was determined and he knew that expression well from his wife. Arwen was going to be superb.

Elrond chewed on a bite of toast. "Of course, we could always take your grandparents to Violet Nights."

There was a stunned pause and then a lot of young joyous laughter. Elrond smiled and continued to eat his breakfast. Under the noise of his children – now postulating what baked goods of Bilbo's their grandparents might take a liking to and what the Durins', especially Thorin's, reactions to Celeborn and Galadriel might be - Elrond thought of a familiar and much-missed song and imagined soft pale skin resting against his.

_-the end_


End file.
